KYIV: Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of having deployed a ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads for the first time in history which, if confirmed, would be a major escalation of the war.

Ukrainian allies have yet to confirm initial assessments from Kyiv’s military that Russia had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Kremlin has not denied it used the weapon, which can strike targets from a distance of thousands of kilometres, spokesman Dmitri Peskov refusing to comment when questioned.

The Ukrainian air force said Moscow had launched the nuclear-capable missile as part of a barrage towards the central city of Dnipro, where local authorities said an infrastructure facility was hit and two civilians were wounded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said experts were examining evidence before confirming an intercontinental ballistic missile had been fired by “our crazy neighbour”. He said that the attack bore “all the characteristics” of an ICBM attack and accused the Kremlin of “using Ukraine as a testing ground”.

US official says Kremlin uses not an ICBM, but ‘experimental’ missile

Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman said analysts were preparing their “expert conclusions” while adding that the attack bore “all flight characteristics of an ICBM”. “The strike itself proves: Russia does not seek peace. To the contrary, it makes every effort to expand the war,” spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said in a statement on social media.

‘Intimidate’

Meanwhile, a US official said on Thursday Russia’s strike on Ukraine was not an ICBM, but an “experimental” medium-range ballistic missile, playing down the significance of the attack. “Russia may be seeking to use this capability to try to intimidate Ukraine and its supporters… but it will not be a game changer in this conflict,” the US official said.

The US official said the missile used in the strike was not an ICBM but an “experimental medium-range ballistic missile” and Russia “likely possesses only a handful of these experimental missiles.” “Ukraine has withstood countless attacks from Russia, including from missiles with significantly larger warheads than this weapon,” the official said.

The United States briefed Ukraine and allies in recent days about Russia’s possible use of the weapon, the official said. The US official also recalled that President Joe Biden had announced plans earlier this year to provide Ukraine with hundreds of Patriot and AMRAAM missiles to strengthen its air defences.

“The United States will continue to surge security assistance to Ukraine to strengthen capabilities, including air defence, and put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield,” the official said.

Kremlin declines comment

Asked whether Moscow had fired an ICBM, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he had “nothing to say on this topic”. He did however say the Kremlin was doing everything to avoid a nuclear conflict, having updated its nuclear doctrine this week. “We have stressed in the context of our doctrine that Russia is taking a responsible position to make maximum effort not to allow such a conflict,” Peskov said.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman received a phone call during a live press briefing, in which she was ordered not to comment on reports of the ballistic strike, video showed.

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2024